A Cold Evening Walk
by Will O' the East
Summary: She promised to wait for him to return. She promised to never forget. But after waiting for so long, can she really just keep waiting? AkihaxShiki


Author's Notes: This story is based off Akiha's True Ending in the original Tsukihime game. I haven't seen the endings or summaries of Kagetsu Tohya, so this probably doesn't follow the canon of that game. This is the first story I've written, but don't hold back if it sucks; good or bad, all comments are welcome.

Summary: Tohno Akiha promises to wait for her brother's return, no matter how long it takes. But as the years go by and her life returns to normal, will she really be able to keep that promise to wait, and have faith of his return?

Also, as said before, this follows the game's storyline, not the Anime. I haven't watched the anime, but since the anime doesn't follow Akiha's path, I expect a few differences. To better understand the story, I've a few key points from the game to list. They may be spoilers, so you can just skip to the story if you want to and learn-as-you-go instead:

The main character of the game, Tohno Shiki, is not related to Akiha, and was only adopted into the family

Akiha's real brother, also named Shiki (but capitalized as SHIKI to distinguish the two), turns into a demon and tries to kill her when she's 8. Shiki (the hero of the game), gets injured trying to help her, and Akiha has to give half her life to Shiki just to keep him alive

In Akiha's True Ending, she's turned into a mindless monster. Shiki (the player character, not SHIKI), stabs himself to release half the life Akiha borrowed him (so she can remain sane), and presumably dies thereafter.

--

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the large room. _'Still 7.30' _I sighed. _'The party doesn't end till 9 ...'_

I looked around the room that I had avoided for so long. The room, that for 2 years, had been left unoccupied. I ran my hand across the mahogany bedside table, but was not surprised at all not to feel any dust on its surface.

Despite the fact that I -that he- no longer slept here, Hisui still tidied up the room; _"Shiki-sama wouldn't be happy to see his room go into disrepair,"_

I sigh. Its been two years since Tohno Shiki disappeared. Two years since he returned half of the life I had borrowed him. Two years since I've seen him. Two years since he had been seen by anybody. Two years since we made that promise ...

"_Nii-san, if I ever stop becoming human, promise me that you'll kill me". _That was what I had said. That was what I had forced him to promise.

But he broke the promise. He din't kill me, not even when I turned into the monster that all Tohno's bear within them. He din't fulfil our promise, even when I turned into a mindless, blood-lusting creature ...

Instead, selfish Nii-san went along with his own stupid ways. To bring back my life, he gave up his own. To return half of the life I had loaned him, he killed himself. Without even caring about how I'd feel, without caring about the fact that all Tohno family members had to eventually succumb anyway, he stupidly gave up his existence so I could keep living.

I had fooled myself at first. I had fooled myself into thinking he was still alive. I remember it well; the first time I picked up the blade named "Nanatsu-Yori" - I could remember the faint beating of a heart within me, not my own heart, but a separate one, beating alongside my own.

I knew the feeling well. It was the same heartbeat that I had heard since the incident when Nii-san got injured. The same burden that I bore for 8 years, just so that Nii-san could keep living.

I dig into my pocket and withdrew the knife. Even now, after so many years, the character "Seven Nights" could still be distinguished. But the feeling, the feeling of a heart beating alongside my own, was long gone.

A year back, whenever I touched the blade of Nanatsu-Yori, I could feel the faint beating of Nii-san's heart. And even this small, simple sound was enough to put faith into my heart, to put a smile on my face; just knowing that Nii-san still lived was enough to send me over the moon.

But for the past six months, the beating became less and less frequent, until they eventually stopped all together. And since then, I've only carried Nanatsu-Yori around with me out of habit.

I feel tears glaze my eyes, and I wipe them away hastily. I don't know what made me lose control like that, when it had been so long since my mind even strayed to the subject of Nii-san.

I can still remember Hisui's severe face as she asked me if I would just forget about Nii-san. Back then, it had seemed such a stupid question. Of course I'd remember him. How could I just forget about him? How could I ever forget how much he's done for me? How could I ever let myself forget that, had it not been him, I wouldn't even have made it past my 7th year of life?

I feel a gut-wrenching pang of guilt. I had forgotten; I was so caught up in my life these past few months, that I had forgotten to whom I owed my life to.

For even as Tohno Shiki's life is slowly forgotten, Tohno Akiha's life doesn't end. Because of his sacrifice, I can live the way I was before – no, better than before. Thanks to him, I no longer have to endure the short bursts of pain from before, the pain caused by supporting both my life and his ...

"Akiha-sama? Shall we leave the gates open tonight, so that your guests may leave?"

I snapped back to my senses and turn around. Hisui is standing by the doorway, looking slightly concerned.

"... If you are ill, Akiha-sama, I can ask-"

"Ah, no, I'm fine, Hisui" I reply, turning to look at the blank walls so I can avoid making eye contact. "Just a bit ... caught up in my thoughts, that's all. Ah, and yes, keep the gates open tonight."

"As you wish, Akiha-sama." Hisui bows and turns to leave the room.

"Wait," I call her back. "I have something to ask you."

"Yes, Akiha-sama?" asked Hisui in her usual, emotionless voice.

"... Do you still honestly believe he's going come back one day?"

I had to ask her, I had to pour my own uncertainty into her and to ask for her own opinion. I wanted to know if Hisui, who had been so sure back then, was still so certain that Nii-san might someday return.

Hisui stays silent for a moment, apparently thinking over an answer. When she finally speaks, it isn't in her usual impassive voice, but in a lower, more human sounding one.

"Certainly I do, Akiha-sama. But ... why are you asking such a question?"

I snapped. And I let out all my frustration, all my impatience, on Hisui;

"Because its been two years!" I bellowed. "Two years since we last saw, or heard, anything about him! How could he _possibly_ still be alive!? If he's still alive, don't you think he'd call, or write, or – or ..."

Hisui's face remained emotionless, despite having been yelled at. "I'm terribly sorry to have upset you, Akiha-sama. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for the guests"

I watch her bow and leave the room. I feel guilt weighing in on me. I had asked Hisui for her opinion, and I yelled at her for giving an honest answer ...

But the fact remained; he was gone. No matter how much Hisui or Kohaku, -or myself- hoped, he'll never return.

I take another look at the clock. It was only 7.50.

Well, there's no point staying in such a lonely place. I took one final look around the room before leaving. I avoid the ballroom, where I can hear the loud voices of the guests, laughing and talking amongst themselves.

I din't really feel like one of them. Infact, I hadn't even wanted a party. Being the head of the Tohno family, the others had requested that I organize a "fancy dress party" where they could bring along their own friends and family to socialize. Having no reason to decline, I just accepted their request. To ease my own uneasiness, I had invited a few of my own friends along; though I din't even feel like talking to them right now.

I opened the grand doors that lead to the manor grounds. It was a starless, moonlit night. Exactly like the night when Nii-san and I were talking in the courtyard.

I let out another sigh. Well, a little more fresh air wouldn't kill me. I decide to head to the forest clearing just outside the Japanese-styled outhouse.

It had been such a long time since I came here. I used to come here all the time, for it was here that I had found Nanatsu-Yori, and it was here that I could hear his heart the loudest.

It was to that end that I scavenged a bench from the courtyard and dragged it over to this place. I brushed off some dried up leaves off the bench before sitting on it. I could still see the engravings on the back of the seat:

"Shiki. Akiha. SHIKI. Shiki. Akiha. Shiki. Akiha. SHIKI. SHIKI."

I smile and run my hand across the names, still clearly distinguishable despite the number of years that it had been since they were carved into the wood.

"Don't mind if I take a seat, do you?"

I jumped. Someone was standing infront of me. It was a guest, dressed in baseball clothes with a matching bat. Lost in my thoughts, I had evidently not heard him approach. His face is hidden behind a sinister looking mask, but the name on his cap is easy enough to read in the bright moonlight.

"Oh, Arihiko-san. Sure, go ahead," I reply, not being able to think up of a polite reason to decline him.

"Ah, this really sucks," he whined as he sat beside me. "I din't have any 'fancy dresses', so I had to go and dig up this old Halloween junk to wear for the party."

I don't reply. I stare at my own knees, remembering the promise I had made myself when I had found Nanatsu-Yori ...

"Eh? You okay? Your eyes seem kinda red. You aren't crying, are y-"

"I broke my promise."

"What?" he asked, sounding bewildered.

"I promised that I would never forget him. I promised that I'd value his sacrifice. That I would wait. That I would never give up, no matter how long it took."

I could feel the tears roll down my cheeks. But what was the use of wiping them away, what was the use of denying it? I had forgotten. I had lost hope. I had given up ...

"S- so I waited," I spoke, more to myself than anyone else. "I waited, everyday, I'd come out here for atleast an hour, just to wait. But lately- lately I've stopped waiting. I've stopped dreaming that he'll come back ..."

"Hey, that's not healthy, sulking around like that. Don'tcha think it'd be a waste if you keep going on like this?"

I was slightly confused. "Huh?"

"If you promised that, don't you think it'd be better to be a bit more cheerful?"

"W-what?" I can't really understand what he's trying to say.

"I mean, wouldn't it be a waste, if sacrifices were made for your benefit, and you just sulk away like this?"

I thought about it for a moment. It was true, Nii-san had given up his own life so that I could live a normal, happy one. Despite the fact that he had an easier way out, despite the fact that he could just kill me and end it all, he had chosen to sacrifice himself for my sake, so I could live a better life ...

"That's right," he said matter-of-factly. "If you keep sulking like that, it just makes you an ingrate, doesn't it?"

I pull out a napkin from my pocket and used it to wipe away the tears on my cheeks.

"Y- you're right. If I keep going on like this, all of Nii-san's doings will be for naught. Thank you, Arihiko-san."

"Ah, you really are slow, aren't you? Or is it that you've forgotten my name already, Akiha?"

"Huh?" I turn around to face Arihiko. But he was no longer there.

Instead, the smiling figure of Tohno Shiki is sitting next to me. The mask and bat he had is on the grassy floor around them, and he swings the baseball cap around with his finger. "I don't think it really fits Arihiko anyway, do you?"

"W-wha ... H-how ... ?" I stammer, not able to believe the sight before my eyes. Nii-san, alive. Nii-san, sitting right next to me, smiling and twirling a cap around.

"How I'm still alive, you mean?" he asked, still smiling. "I won't lie to you, Akiha, I really did mean to end it when I stabbed myself back then. I meant to end my life, so that I could save yours."

He explains himself calmly, his eyes still on his spinning baseball cap, as though he doesn't have a care in the world.

"And in a way, it worked. The part of your life that I had kept was returned to you. I, on the other hand, was left to cling onto the only strand of life that was still my own; an amount of life force so scarce that it wouldn't even keep a spider alive for long. By all counts, I should have died then and there ... but I din't."

He stops spinning his baseball cap and turns to look at me.

"I was rescued. Rescued by the Agency that Ciel-Senpai worked for, and taken to their base. There I stayed ... for nearly two years, I was lingering in a state between life and death, kept alive only by the drugs and herbs they kept giving me." he said.

"A part of me still depended on you, Akiha. A part of me was still connected to you. So the Agency had to make sure my life was my own again, wholly, completely my own. They had to make sure I no longer drew my energy from you, so that you'd no longer be in risk of inverting again. That's why it took so long, too." he explains.

"Well, here I am!" he declares, like a magician on a stage show. He grins at me, and spread his arms wide as though expecting a hug.

I stare at him for a moment, completely in shock. After two years, after two whole years ... he just marches up here and expects me to accept this all?!

I raise my hand ... ball it into a fist, and sink it into his chest. Then I pull it back again, and punched again, striking him on the chin.

"Hey – Ouch, what's that for!?" he said.

"You – Absolute – Pig!" I cried, punching away at every bit of him I can reach. "I waited for you! I waited – two years – you din't even send a letter or anything-"

I raised my fist to strike again, but this time he catches my wrist. He looks at me with slightly mournful eyes. I feel myself reddening, and look away.

"I'm sorry Akiha," he whispers. "But, you know, I really did try to send you a letter -"

"Oh, just like you _really tried_ to send me letters while you were with the Arimas?" I scoff.

"That's a low blow, Akiha. I really mean it, I really _did_ try to send you word that I was still OK. But the Agency that Ciel works for – their really secretive. They don't want any information to pass in and out of their gates. Heck, I don't even know where the place I was in is – After they were done with me, they just drugged me and brought me back to town."

He looks down at me with pleading eyes. Eyes that are begging me to believe him, to accept his apology.

"Ah .. fine then. I guess its just good to have you home."

He smiles, and leans closer to me. "I've brought you a present."

"Eh? What is it Ni-"

The rest of my sentence is lost. He leans forward and pulls me into a kiss. My eyes widen from shock, but I don't push him away. We stay like that for what seemed to be a minute, before he pulled away.

"Ni- Nii-san ..." I stammer, feeling myself redden again.

He grabs my hand. "Come on," he said, smiling once more. "I haven't returned Arihiko his cap yet. And you've gotta host your own party."

"Okay. But you better not do anything to embarrass me!"

"Same old Akiha, eh?"

He laughs. I can't help it either, and join in. Hand in hand, and still chuckling, we walk back to the mansion together.

Fin.

--

Author's Notes: Phew, that was longer then I had thought. As I may have said before, this is my first story, so any comments (And I do mean anything; even if you're gonna flame me and say "YOU IS THE WORSTEST AUTHOR EVER TO HAS LIVED!", just as long as you tell me why I'm the "WORSTEST AUTHOR EVER") are welcome.

This story was originally written in third-person before being converted to a first-person perspective. I thought it would seem more natural to see it through Akiha's POV, since this story picks off where her True Ending left.

The scenes between Akiha and Shiki seem really crappy, now that I look back at it, but it can't be helped – I finished this story at 1 AM, and I wasn't feeling terribly motivated back then. Besides, its my first time writing such scenes (and as said before, its my first time writing a story like this to publish)


End file.
